A Severed Deal
by Erebos Brando
Summary: Taiga's temper goes just one step too far, more than even Ryuuji is prepared to accept. Now apart, they reflect on their strange relationship. Can they hope to reconcile?
1. Chapter 1

Authors Notes: To everyone; Happy New Year! To those who are familiar with my other Toradora works; here's a new year's gift! An entirely new story. Not a one-shot (for once) either.

And to newcomers: I have other Toradora works. You know, just in case wading through this one isn't suffering enough for you.

Bit of trivia for any of my fans: This is my 10th fic!

**Now we got that out of the way...**

If there's one thing I don't like about Ryuuji's character, it's that he takes just a little too much shit from Taiga. (at least in the early days) I say "just a little" because his tendency to take care of others is an integral part to his character. Plus it's anime, there's probably a rulebook about stuff like this somewhere. (though Toradora is relatively realistic for an anime)

However, everyone has their limits, and since the two never had what could be called a serious falling out, I think it's worth exploring what one could be like.

Where this story starts: It starts in episode 7. However, it's going to deviate from the cannon plot. (both in big details and in little ones) The fic will take place through an altered version of the Pool-centric arc. (seemed the right place to put this story)

Font change index.

"Text with speech marks": Speech

"_Text with speech marks in italic"_: Thought

"_Italic text with speech marks and underlined text":_ Remembered speech (IE: Character remembering something someone else said)

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Well today had been...something. First they'd woken up late (oddly, Taiga ended up getting hit for that, in a very strange role reversal), then the school had announced swimming classes were starting at the start of next week. The plan was for he and Taiga (Minori as well, to Ryuuji's pleasure) to get to store to pick up a new swimsuit for her (Ryuuji nearly had a heart attack when he saw her last one), but for some reason or another Minori was "urgently" required after school for some club-related thing he didn't remember, and Ryuuji didn't trust in his skills alone at forcing Taiga into the store. Plus he had a feeling telling him Ami had intended to come along, and he didn't want to combined Ami, swimming, and a strangely acting Taiga. It'd be a recipe for a disaster he did not want to be responsible for.

Now, Taiga's strangeness. He could not yet decipher a reason, yet since the announcement had been made Taiga had been acting...well he'd say sullen and snappish but that described the _normal_ Taiga pretty well. He'd have to settle for "more so than usual". Something was really bothering her, and as they left class at the end of the day he decided to press the matter.

He'd had better luck in conversations with an extremely hungover Yasuko.

He brought up what to make for dinner...then he knew something was _really_ wrong. (no response)

He brought up their original plan to get the swimsuit, just the three of them, since her best friend always put Taiga in a good mood. ("Shut up.")

He brought it up again, somehow coming up with the idea to try and include a certain student vice president. (No response, except her posture seemed to get even more depressed...since when did mentioning Kitamura become a bad move?)

He lastly tried pointing out how having a class outdoors in the summer was a good thing, instead of being stuck in a classroom. Also it could be really fun.

The term "backfire" quickly came to mind.

"Ha, I knew it! You can't wait for classes to start, can you?" They came close to passing by a flight of stairs. "Then you can see that stupid chihuahua in a swimsuit!"

He briefly lost command of his tongue. He'd seriously not been expecting that. He stopped walking, as did she. He turned to face her. "Are you _still_ mad about that? I told you already; she was just teasing, like always."

There was a sound like a tiger's growling, and Ryuuji felt a chill of fear pass down his spine as he met her eyes. That was the look that promised pain, and it was delivered quickly. "Shut up!" Her elbow slammed into his stomach.

Ryuuji was knocked off his feet, almost literally, he was knocked back a couple of steps. The first step was fine. The second however...

His foot never found steady flooring.

With a gasp he realized he was falling, falling fast down the stairs and there was no stopping him. There might have been a scream, but it was too brief to tell for sure, or who it was from.

The next thing he felt was pain, and all too quickly, there was only black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

His eyelids twitched, as did his fingers. He felt pain in his head. With a groan he opened his eyes, what had happened? "O-ow."

His pain was not helped by the dozens, possibly hundreds (his vision was far too blurred to tell) of previously-departing students who'd gathered, all in discussion about what was in front of them. Some wondering how this had happened, others whether he was injured or not, very few really caring either way.

"Takasu!" Ryuuji flinched from another shot of pain. That was Yuusaku's voice. Yuusaku quickly found his place by Ryuuji.

"Are you alright, Takasu?"

Ryuuji flinched again. "Hurts." He tried moving, but his legs were not as responsive as they should have been. "Little help?" Yuusaku nodded, and in short order Ryuuji was on his feet, supported by Yuusaku and a teacher who's face he did not recognize. Yuusaku's head shot around, looking for "Aisaka! Aisa-"

"No."

Yuusaku turned to "Takasu?" Ryuuji took a heavy step.

"Just...get this looked at."

Confused, but compliant, Yuusaku assisted in helping Ryuuji along his way. Soon they found themselves in the infirmary, the teacher leaving the two of them alone and to find the school nurse. Ryuuji lightly felt the back of his head, flinching. He pulled his hand away, looking at his hand. No blood, so maybe he'd gotten off lucky. Still hurt like hell though. Across from him Yuusaku spoke up.

"Takasu, what happened?"

Ryuuji removed his gaze from his hand. His voice was calm, and whatever he was thinking was impossible to determine. "Taiga."

Before either could speak again the nurse swept in, quickly shifting Yuusaku right out, who's worries were dispelled with a lazy wave and smile from Ryuuji. It took several minutes, but eventually the nurse determined there were no easily detectable problems, and he was free to go, being warned not to overexert himself and to put something cold on his head. She'd also insisted he'd take the next day off ("just in case" she said), effectively giving him a three day weekend. Ryuuji accepted with no complaints, or much of a reaction of any kind really. His thoughts revolved around the cause of the injury, rather than the injury itself. With only a short thanks Ryuuji made his way out of the now empty school.

He slowly walked down each flight of stairs, his face pensive. He made his way to the entrance, silently putting on his own shoes and making his way out into the sunset. He took a breath, and a moment to decide: Store first, to get something for dinner and his head then home.

Speaking of which, where did Taiga get to- "Ryuuji." Speak of the devil(ess).

She was leaning up against the entrance to the school grounds with her arms crossed. Her face that signature blend of annoyed impatience. "Seriously. I was starting to think you'd never come out. Let's go."

She turned.

Ryuuji could not pretend he had been expecting her to act any different from normal. Yet, Taiga could have _killed_ him. Didn't she...

She started walking.

Didn't she _care_?

As he watched her take steps, choice moments, choice actions, and choice words from Taiga played back in his mind. His gaze turned downwards as he saw things differently than he had before...

All the physical beatings. (how he still had his eyesight/no broken bones he did not understand)

Referring to him only as "dog" or "mongrel" most of the time. Atop the other various mean remarks and suggestions.

Her outright _admitting_ she was cold to him.

It would seem he was wrong about something. He had thought that early on, when she had decided just to confess, she was being considerate of him. He had thought, despite well, _everything._ In her own way, she at least cared _somewhat_. Yet today...his mind was paused for a moment, it could not move forward with just one obvious question right in front of it.

_Why_ was he doing all this? For someone who didn't even seem to have the slightest care if he...

"Hey, Ryuuji, what are you waiting for?"

He looked up, meeting her eyes. There was nothing...different in them. They were still whatever it was that defined her regular gaze when it was set upon him. His mouth had opened before he even realized it, but despite the fact he could have, he chose not to stop himself. He spoke without malice, yet without any gentleness in his voice.

"Our deal's off, Taiga."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

End of Chapter

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's Notes: All the people preaching the end of the world during 2012 got it wrong...it's actually 2013 in which the world is screwed. This chapter is less than 1500 words. I've written a chapter less than 1500 words! **The end is f**king nigh, people!**

Now for the fic itself:

I figured if just narrowly escaping death wouldn't get him to react in a "we're done" fashion then nothing would.

Let's see where this goes. If it should continue. What do you think, people? Should it? I know I'm going against cannon material here, but I think it's a concept worth exploring. Yet, I don't write if there's no market for the content, so is this something people want to read?

Now, my intention is for this to be a _short_ story. (Should it continue, and it'd 10 chapters in the most extreme scenario) Feel free to open up a betting pool on what the _actual_ length might be.

Put me down for $50 on at least thirty chapters!

After that; go celebrate! Happy New Year to you all!


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Notes: Sorry for the not-so inconsiderable delay folks.

Word of advice: If writing for two franchises (and juggling a life atop that), either have a shit load of free time or prepare to lose sleep. I'm working towards the latter. I'm developing insomnia. Yay!

(wait, is that a good thing? Ah screw it I'm nuts anyway)

Though it might be worth just dropping my Pokémon story. Interest seems to be dying. (if the review count is any indication) And when interest dies the thing itself eventually follows. Means more time on my hands. Time I can put to this fandom, until it gets bored of me. Then off I go, to punish another franchise unjustly. -maniacal laughter- Now what franchise is lacking vast quantities of crappy fan fiction? It's an unwritten law that all franchises must contain a minimum of a thousand crappy fics.

Oh shit have I got a load of work to do! Well good thing I got that insomnia going...-starts chugging coffee-

Very short chapter (again, not like me at all), but there's fair reason for it; look at the author's notes at the bottom when you're done.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

For a handful of seconds, there was only silence, in which the world seemed to come to a standstill. A portrait of time which showed two things which normally would not find themselves permitted to exist, two expressions to be specific. The first was Ryuuji's, whose expression had become harder, and though subtle in its change, drastically altered the visage it sat upon.

Taiga's expression was not so rare, yet had been seen so very few times one would think it so. Her face had lost all composure, and her eyes had turned wide, her every detail betraying only confusion in this single frozen moment.

Soon the world started to move again, and Taiga's face changed from complete confusion, to something far more resembling rage. Far more resembling what was normal of her.

Taiga's eyes darkened, and her voice became sharp with threat. "What?"

Ryuuji would not back down. With new-found _anger_ he pressed on, a strange sense of self-righteousness calculating his words. "I'm done with it! The beatings, the insults, you treating me like a slave!" The anger flared, and like a volcano it burst from him. For one brief instant, he was as vicious as his appearance would suggest. "I'm not wasting any more time on someone who doesn't give a damn about me!"

His words found their mark. Taiga's mouth did open, but whatever words she was to speak died on her tongue. Ryuuji watched as she suddenly averted her gaze, the rage in her eyes seeming to waver for an instant before her eyes were hidden from view. Ryuuji's moment of self-righteous anger was too potent for him to wonder, had _he_ managed to strike the Palmtop Tiger? At present he could only wait, for the inevitable counterstrike. She'd attack, it was just who she was around him, _to him_. She'd strike him, hard, and expect that to put him back in line.

Those times had passed. She could try whatever method she saw fit, but she was not bending his will.

_Now what was she waiting for?_

Taiga remained still, almost like a statue for what felt like moments, but was in all likelihood merely seconds. He couldn't see her eyes, nor her face anymore, the girl was just too damn short, but every fraction of time that passed just fed the air weight. _Would she just do something already?_

Another second, another dose of weight, more density into the atmosphere...

She shattered it all with one word.

"Fine."

Now it was Ryuuji's turn to feel struck. _'Fine'?_

Taiga turned away. "What good is an idiot dog who wont obey their master anyway?" She walked. Ryuuji watched her go. He knew her well enough to find the tell-tale signs in her footsteps, the stiff pace, the clenched fists, which even in her stiff pace, shook lightly.

Taiga was angry, and that only served to fuel his own rage.

She was _angry_. Not _sad_. Not _remorseful._

_Angry!_

He could only conclude he had been proven right. Taiga really didn't give damn about him.

He soon left.

He left _angry_.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Though he knew the route well enough to navigate in his sleep, it took Ryuuji considerably longer to get home that day. This was in part owed to the trip he made to the store, opting in the end to just get use some frozen food as a temporary ice bag (finding multiple uses for one thing was a speciality of his), the time in the store itself, though adding to his travel time, was in itself shorter than he'd regularly be in the place.

Well, shorter than what had become regular.

Even through his anger, the strangeness of walking home alone was vaguely noticeable. Like the light of the sun breaking through the dirtiest of windows. It had been some time since he'd walked alone. It was something that strangely, he found he had not missed.

He eventually found himself before his home, and quietly ascended the stairs. The first time he'd done so alone in quite a while.

It was to be a night alone.

It was...quick. Not having a near-constant source of demands to cater to made things oddly quick. Quick to remove his uniform, to get into something a little less soulless, to do the dozens of tiny little things that would require his attention on a daily basis, and to eventually start dinner.

No objections, no demands, no grumbling. Just pulling out ingredients, preparing, and cooking. For a while that was how things were, save for the brief interruption where Inko-chan woke up, knowing dinner was some to come, leaving Ryuuji to place his cage on the table, in an area that would normally be soon occupied. Ryuuji quickly gave him feed and returned to his ministrations, deep in thought for a time.

The sound of a door sliding open brought him right out. "Good morning!" Ryuuji smiled.

That was Yasuko for you. Ryuuji wasn't watching, but he couldn't shake the certainty that Yausko was glancing around, confused, and in seconds he was proven right.

"Where's Taiga?"

That actually shocked him, oddly. He couldn't place why, yet it did. He found his mouth refusing to open and answer, so another did it for him.

"Not coming!"

Ryuuji turned, approaching the table with some cutlery as Yausko turned to him, her natural glow somehow diminished from its normal state. "Taiga's not coming to dinner?" Still he did not answer, leaning to place his burdens on the table. "Did you two have a fight?"

Ryuuji paused, silent for a moment before he continued with preparing the table. "Something like that." He stood back up, and in moments all was as it was intended to be, the family was at the table and the food was prepared.

_Itadakimasu._

Mouthful by mouthful, bite by bite, the mealtime ran its course, Ryuuji's mind at work on a matter separate from the meal, and one he had thus not spared much thought to, though he would have to give explanation eventually. Now how would he go about explaining this to Yasuko? Last time, as temporary as it was, was trivial. Taiga was a new element in the Takasu household at that time. Now time had passed, more than a little of it as well. Some creatures passed by entire lifetimes in the time Taiga had been with them, and now she wasn't here, and that she was never going to be again...

Yet again Ryuuji found that sense of strangeness, even through everything else. He could, and perhaps would have wondered if there had perhaps been a way to avoid this, if he'd wanted to wonder, but even had he wanted to wonder, or actually avoid today's outcome, the simple reality was inescapable.

This was always going to happen anyway. Sooner or later, this was going to be how it ended; one less face at the table every day, one less person Ryuuji had to take care of. One less set of tasks he was charged with.

Ryuuji continued to chew, the silence at the table (which in itself had been forgotten in recent times) giving chance for the various background details of the room to demand attention, eventually one new detail making its presence known from within Ryuuji himself.

Accepting what was always going to be didn't make him feel better.

He shook his head, and opening up the rice cooker he filled his dish and went back to eating. The rest of the meal passed in relative silence, save for the brief moments when Yasuko would give away her unhappiness in not-so-subtle actions, sometimes by looking where Inko-chan's cage was currently located, but Ryuuji knew it wasn't Inko-chan she was looking at.

Inko-chan didn't seem to mind Yasuko's gaze. Instead, with what could be mistaken for a victorious cry, dug into his feed. One upside to all this; it was likely Inko-chan was going to find himself in better health from now on. Inko-chan and Taiga were a pair that never quite got along. Perhaps that was in some way related to the timeless conflict of avian and feline.

Eventually the various clinks of cutlery came to an end, and Yausko, her mood dimmer than what was normal, bid her family goodbye. Inko-chan was rarely a conversationalist (despite having command of a vast number of words, though he couldn't manage his own name), so that meant Ryuuji was alone for the night.

This was always going to happen eventually, yet that didn't make him feel better. It made him feel worse. For a second he wondered why, before simply turning away, making his way to his room. He had some homework to address, might as well go about doing that. A minute after Yasuko had closed the front door he had sat down at his desk, the frozen bag upon his still slightly aching head, picking up his textbook and trying to start work.

'Trying' being the operative word. His thoughts were plagued by what had transpired that day. It shouldn't have been important, it really shouldn't. This was always going to happen, and it had been damn clear from the start that the two were not, and were never going to become friends.

Yet he couldn't help but feel angry.

He took a breath, leaning back, his gaze taking in an upside down version of his home, the mats of the 'ceiling', the wooden 'floor', Inko-chan looking back at him, his confusion at Ryuuji's actions readable only by Ryuuji himself. His eyes continued to wander, the doors to Yausko's room, the side of his door, the dull grey of the door. A bright pink.

He blinked. A pink, Cherry Blossom shape in the door. His memory quickly replayed a certain night for him. All the passion Taiga had expressed, the effort, over an empty envelope! Meanwhile, he nearly gets his head busted open and-_"If It'd been Kitamura..."_ He felt a fresh surge of anger.

If it'd been Kitamura, oh then things would have been different! She'd be tripping over herself in apology, desperately trying to make it up to him, likely involving some act or gift, which she'd expect **him** to help her with! If it'd been Kitamura, everything would have been different.

He couldn't help but feel bitter about that.

He took another deep breath. This had been one very bad day. He'd had his head nearly cracked open (felt like it anyway), all over something that wasn't even his fault! (even _if_ it turned out to be another reason, no way in hell was it him)

That wasn't the worst of it. It was in this moment that his mind made him aware of another problem.

"_There will be punishment!"_

He sighed.

Minori would not take kindly to this he did not doubt, so he could likely say that his chances with her, if he ever had any, had just made a one way trip to the sewer. Had Ryuuji been the more judgemental sought, he'd wonder how in the hell her best friend ended up being _Taiga_. He'd find no logic in it. He wouldn't be able to find two individuals whose personalities were of greater contrast. Yet he could find the simple logic in the reality before him.

He sighed once more. "Wonderful."

"Sarcasm, sarcasm!"

In spite of himself, he couldn't help but smile, and learned forward to try working again, in a better mood. Inko-chan had that way about him, of lightening the mood of those around him. He'd always had. Now if only Ryuuji's beloved pet could manage his own name.

"I-! Iiii-!"

Speaking of which, time for another attempt. "Come on, Inko-chan!"

He turned around, and anyone other than Ryuuji could have mistaken Inko-chan's expression as attempting to force something other than words out of himself.

He turned to Ryuuji. "It'll be alright, wont it?"

Not many really realized it (well considering Inko-chan's range of human interaction consisted of three regulars, wasn't very surprising), but he did have something of a grasp of the world around him, and he would occasionally voice his opinion about it. His thoughts tended to be specific too, whether it be offering commentary on something that was on TV, or offering Yausko advice on how to dress. (he'd yet to give any advice Ryuuji agreed with. Yausko on the other hand...)

Right now, he knew something was wrong.

Ryuuji smiled, sadly. "I hope so."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

End of Chapter

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Author's Notes: **Getting serious here, so actually read this. (Yes I know my Author's notes are a pain in the ass to read but just this once)**

Sorry for the very short chapter (atop the long delay!), but there really is fair reason for it (for both actually): I didn't want to go too far into the plot without deciding where the story should go. And when I'm unsure about something like this, I'll stall for a while thinking about it. Bad habit of mine. Even geniuses like Shakespeare had their off days, so a crappy writer like myself is permitted as much as I please.

I'll admit, this story was born on a random thought. It was just something that came to me, I slammed it in what seemed the optimal spot in the cannon story, then just decided to go with it. For me, not a bad a method as it sounds. I had a basic plot idea, and I figured that would do. (I'm a natural born bullshitter)

However...

After giving this story some due thought (more than my usual thirty seconds), I have had second thoughts about my original plot plan for this fic, and in hindsight it wasn't one of my better planed ideas, but I still like the concept, so I don't want to do to this story what I do with ideas that prove ultimately unsatisfactory to me. (Scrap 'em) So, I want to put it to a vote: This story can go one of two ways.

Way 1: An altered version of the cannon story, but one which will eventually make its way back to the Cannon story, essentially making this story a re-telling of the pool arc. One that doesn't conflict with the rest of the story. (I hope, I don't think the pool arc is explicitly mentioned again after its done. I can BS a new path to getting the gang to Ami's vacation home. Remember, I'm a natural.)

Way 2: I diverge. I can't pretend to know what that would mean at this point (though I do have some ideas I can explore), I didn't plan for this possibility, but while it will stay in the altered pool arc, at least for now, I'm going to have to go beyond it at some point or another. Obviously I will have to diverge from the cannon material, but just writing this fic means I've already done that. (more than once actually, this ain't my first fic, much to this site's chagrin)

It's up to **you**, which do you think would make the better story? And which one do you want to read? Personally, the latter would prove to be a more interesting thing to write for me, but it's readers choice.*

(*...I should become a frigging communist)

Drop your votes in reviews (I can't be assed learning how to make and use polls at this point). No need to attach your thoughts on the chapter in the review, just dump your suggestion.

**Betting pool!**: So far the largest (and only) wager is a turtle. Are we talking one of those little Terrapin Turtles, or have I gotta break into a zoo for one of those really big ones?


End file.
